If you are building a new stud wall, you can run cable between the sheets of plasterboard. To protect the cable, you can thread it into a PVC conduit as used in masonry walls. With one side of the wall plasterboarded, pull the cable through a hole in the head or sole plate. Use a flat wood bit about 10mm (½ in) thick to drill holes in the timber studs. Feed the cable through the holes to the exit point. An alternative to drilling holes in the studs is to cut notches in the front face of the studs, which the cable can rest in, then fix the cable to the studs with clips. Plasterboard the other side of the stud wall, cutting a hole in the sheet of plasterboard where the cable needs to exit.
Dropping a cable behind existing stud walls may be possible if there are no horizontal noggings or blanket insulation to block the path of the cable. At a position above the intended outlet, gain access to the ceiling by removing the floorboards with a crowbar. Remove any insulation under the floorboard to gain access to the head plate. Using a10mm (½ in) drill bit, drill a hole through the head plate and feed the cable through the hole and down behind the stud wall. Cut a hole in the stud wall to retrieve the cable. To draw the cable up from below, drill an exit hole for the cable in the floor and a mounting box recess in the wall, and pull the cable up behind the plaster to the mounting box recess with a mouse string.
| After drilling a hole in the timber head or sole plate, pull the cable through. Plasterboard the other side of the stud wall, cutting a hole where the cable needs to exit and pull it through. Drill a hole through the head plate and feed the cable down behind the stud wall. Cut a hole in the stud wall to retrieve the cable. |